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Clinton stumps for Graham at FAMU

Former President Bill Clinton on Sunday headlined a voting rally for Democratic congressional candidate Gwen Graham at Florida A&M University, drawing a crowd of about 1,000 people. He urged them not only to vote for Graham but to do so immediately, either by marching to the polls with local elected officials or by boarding buses waiting on campus.

Clinton stumps for Graham at FAMU

Former President Bill Clinton and congressional candidate Gwen Graham pose with members of FAMU's football team after a rally for Graham held at FAMU in Tallahassee, Fla., on Sunday, October 26, 2014.(Photo: Michael Schwarz, Michael Schwarz/Special to the Democrat)

Former President Bill Clinton on Sunday headlined a voting rally for Democratic congressional candidate Gwen Graham at Florida A&M University, drawing a crowd of about 1,000 people. He urged them not only to vote for Graham but to do so immediately, either by marching to the polls with local elected officials or by boarding buses waiting on campus.

"The political dysfunction in Washington is the single most important near-term threat to your prosperity," he said. "We have seen people driving each other apart instead of reaching out to work together. …You know (Graham) will work with anybody with a good idea to help you have a better future."

On Sunday, with early voting underway in Florida, Clinton crossed the state for three Democrats in down-to-the-wire races. He went from Palm Beach Gardens for U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy to Tallahassee for Graham, who is challenging U.S. Rep. Steve Southerland, a Panama City Republican, in the one of the biggest congressional races in the country. The former president was then headed to Tampa for gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist.

"In non-presidential elections, typically, lower-income people, minorities, the frail, adult population — people that have got more than they can say grace over just keeping body and soul together — don't think it's as important as when you vote for president," Clinton said at FAMU. "But it is."

He was joined at the podium by U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson and Graham and her family, including her father, former Gov. and U.S. Sen. Bob Graham.

"We know that she is going to be reasonable and level-headed and represent the average person instead of the special interests," Nelson said.

The battle between Graham and Southerland is rated as a toss-up as the Nov. 4 election looms in little more than a week.

The sprawling, 14-county 2nd Congressional District runs the political gamut. Southerland is counting on his home county, Bay, a Republican stronghold, and rural counties in the conservative western part of the district. Graham, who lives in Tallahassee, should receive a boost in the Democratic stronghold of Leon County and other areas in the eastern part of the district.

Clinton has been campaigning for Democratic candidates as Election Day approaches --- and is in demand where the more-unpopular President Barack Obama is not, including Arkansas, New Hampshire, Louisiana, Michigan and Kentucky.

"Any time you bring a former president into the state, it has a certain amount of star power," said state Rep. Jimmy Patronis, a Panama City Republican and Southerland backer. "No one wants the current president to come."

But while Clinton can still draw a crowd, his appearance also drew scorn in the polarized 2nd Congressional District.

Republican Party of Florida Chairwoman Leslie Dougher said Clinton's visit had "no power at all" to affect the outcome. "The Democrats are getting desperate at this point to bring anybody," she said.

"Gwen Graham just doesn't get it," Southerland spokesman Matt McCullough wrote in an email. "She can have the support of Barbra Streisand, Bill Maher, and all the Hollywood liberals and big time politicians she wants. They aren't the ones who will determine this election."

The past week also has seen U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., a possible contender for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, stumping for Southerland in Tallahassee. Both campaigns have brought in members of Congress to boost their credibility. And musical icon Jimmy Buffett will perform Wednesday at a rally for Graham.